In the piece, Krauthammer helpfully provides a one-stop shop for policies that other conservative columnists have observed Obama carrying over from Bush, starting the list by quoting the National Review’s Victor Davis Hanson, who backed Bush:

The Patriot Act, wiretaps, e-mail intercepts, military tribunals, Predator drone attacks, Iraq (i.e. slowing the withdrawal), Afghanistan (i.e. the surge) — and now Guantanamo.

Krauthammer adds, in a paraphrase of conservative Jack Goldsmith in the New Republic:

rendition — turning over terrorists seized abroad to foreign countries; state secrets — claiming them in court to quash legal proceedings on rendition and other erstwhile barbarisms; and the denial of habeas corpus — to detainees in Afghanistan’s Bagram prison, indistinguishable logically and morally from Guantanamo.

For Krauthammer, who led a staggering recent run of pro-torture columns on the Strib’s op-ed pages with not one but two recent pieces, crow has to be a recommended dietary staple. I’d join him next Monday, but the Center for the American Experiment tells me tickets are gone — from the $25,000 table to the $250 cheap seats.

Not sure if this is what they’re looking for, but I would give up city sewer service not to have to listen to Charles Krauthammer, much less eat with him.

(Actually, with one toilet out of two currently frozen, I’m halfway there.)

The Center’s first foray into the short-essay solicitation asked “members and friends” to respond to the question, “Do you think America remains exceptional among the nations of the world?” That contest “resulted in an excellent package,” according to Center founder and president Mitch Pearlstein.

And if 43 people agreeing that American is indeed exceptional makes an excellent package for Pearlstein, then it surely was.

The winner asserted that “America and its people embody eleven of the twelve points of the Boy Scout Law,” by being trustworthy, loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient, cheerful, brave and clean. America even qualifies as “reverent” by Boy Scout standards — (“A Scout is reverent toward God. He is faithful in his religious duties. He respects the beliefs of others.”) — but not “thrifty … given our free-spending government.”

For being “intriguing and interesting [and] imaginative,” the essayist will spend one summer night dining with Charles Krauthammer (who according to reports today has a new conservative columnist colleague at the Washington Post: Bill Kristol, late of the New York Times).

Barb Davis White

Barb Davis White is running an underdog campaign to unseat Democratic Rep. Keith Ellison on a platform of opposing same-sex marriage, abortion and immigration reform in a district with large numbers of LGBT residents, pro-choice voters and immigrants. As if those hurdles weren’t enough, the money just isn’t coming in for the Republican candidate.

Her campaign was cited by the Federal Election Commission for failing to file campaign contribution information by the Aug. 28 deadline. The campaign finally complied after prodding from the FEC.

Here are some highlights from Davis White’s report.

Davis White took in $11,043 during the July/August period, bringing her total for this election cycle to $43,437. Only 13 individuals have contributed more than $50 to the campaign, and only two of those contributors came from the district — one from Minneapolis and one from Columbia Heights.

Ellison took in more than 10 times as much during July/August, $186,244, and $1,144,557 for the campaign cycle from 100 times more contributors: 1,107 gave more than $50.

While the number of Davis White contributors is few, many among those 13 have interesting backgrounds. Here’s a snapshot of some of her contributors.

Barb Anderson is a volunteer coordinator for the Minnesota Family Council. George Anderson is her husband.

Carleton Crawford is the chair of the 5th Congressional District Republicans.

Sandy Keith is a former DFL legislator, lieutenant governor and Minnesota Supreme Court justice turned Republican activist. He sits on the board of the Center of the American Experiment.

Cushman Minar is the owner of Minar Ford, a business where he brought his faith to work every day, resulting in a lawsuit:

“Ira Chemers joined the New Brighton-based car dealership chain in 1996 as a lease renewal manager. By 1999, he had worked his way up to general sales manager, second only to the owner. Owner Cushman Minar was a devout Christian who held optional daily prayer sessions for employees and started management meetings with Christian prayer, according to the case documents. Chemers claimed Minar went further, trying to convert non-Christian employees. Chemers, who is Jewish, said Minar showed contempt toward his faith and ignored his requests that meetings not be started with Christian prayer. Minar fired Chemers in 2000, and Chemers claimed in his subsequent suit that Minar once proclaimed, ‘I want everyone in this organization to be a Christian. Not all will be Christian, but that will be their demise on Judgment Day.’”

Paul Sjolund was a contributor to MFC’s lobbying at the Capitol in 2004. He also signed a pledge to abolish public education. “I proclaim publicly that I favor ending government involvement in education.”

Michael Wigley is a founding member of the Freedom Club, founder and chairman of the Taxpayers League of Minnesota, and serves on the board of the Center of the American Experiment.